Maine East H.S. teacher charged in sex case

A Maine East High School teacher was held in lieu of $50,000 bail Monday after she was charged with sexual abuse during an eight-month affair with an underage former student.

Jennifer Espinosa, 38, of Park Ridge appeared in Bond Court in Skokie charged with two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, said Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart in a news release.

Espinosa, a science and special education teacher, allegedly told police she had an eight-month relationship with the 16-year-old boy, who was expelled from the school in September. The teen is an alleged gang member, according to the release.

The teacher told police she "loves" the boy, the release said.

Espinosa was arrested after sheriff's police picked her up Saturday evening at the Golf Terrace Apartments in the 9600 block of North Golf Terrace in Des Plaines. They were patrolling the area because of reports of recent gang and drug activity, according to the release.

After pulling over the vehicle, Espinosa told police she was a Maine East teacher. Police recognized the 16-year-old and a 22-year-old also in the car as gang members, and after a canine unit detected drugs in the vehicle, it was searched.

A bag of marijuana was found, and Alejandro Landi, 22, of Niles was charged with misdemeanor drug possession.

After questioning, Espinosa told police she had been a teacher and mentor to the 16-year-old boy before he was expelled.

She told police their relationship began after he left the school, according to the release.

Espinosa, a married mother of two, told police she and the boy had sex numerous times, in her home and in her car near the school. She is a former soccer coach at the school, the release said.

Joel Morris, superintendent of Maine Township High School District 207, said Espinosa will be reassigned outside the classroom until the district finishes its investigation.